The Chilling Road Trip to Gatlinburg

Our family decided to leave our old Brooklyn apartment for the serene Rolling Hills of Tennessee. According to my parents, life in the countryside was more manageable, especially as they grew older. Due to financial constraints and the soaring costs of plane tickets, we embarked on a long 15-hour drive from New York to Gatlinburg, roughly four hours outside of Nashville.

The journey started on a sunny morning, with excitement and anticipation filling the air. We packed our belongings into the car, tightly securing them for the long road ahead. As we left behind the bustling streets of New York City, the landscape gradually transformed into picturesque countryside, with sprawling fields and distant mountains.

About halfway through the journey, during the late hours, we found ourselves on a road somewhere in Kentucky or West Virginia that stretched across the state. The moon cast an ethereal glow, illuminating the winding path ahead. Around 1 am, I woke up to the car slowly coming to a halt. Confused and concerned, I asked my dad why we had stopped, and that's when we noticed a person lying in the middle of the road.

It was a woman, perhaps in her mid-40s, with black hair and what seemed like a sweater. My dad, being ex-military, felt the instinct to help or prepare for the worst. He instructed my mom and me to stay in the car as he approached the woman, his senses heightened.

Upon turning her over, my dad immediately stepped back, visibly panicking. Though it was difficult to see clearly, I caught a glance of her face and understood why my dad was so frightened. Her features were contorted, with bulging eyes, a misaligned jaw, and her right arm positioned unnaturally behind her. It was a scene that seemed beyond the capability of any human.

The eerie silence of the night was broken by the sound of my dad's heavy footsteps returning to the car. He quickly locked the doors, his face etched with a mixture of fear and confusion. My mom and I bombarded him with questions, but he could only manage to mutter a few incomprehensible words.

The only clue my dad noticed was a blue star spray-painted on the road beside her. We had no idea what it meant, but my family speculated that it might be a symbol representing a group of killers. The thought sent a chill down our spines, and the atmosphere in the car grew tense.

With no cell service in the area, my dad decided it was best to continue driving until we reached the next town. Three hours later, we finally arrived, exhaustion weighing heavily upon us. My dad wasted no time and headed straight to the local police station to report the incident, lacking the exact location of the murder other than being on a desolate road.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, but we never received any updates on the incident. The police seemed as puzzled as we were, unable to connect the dots or provide any meaningful information. The case remained shrouded in mystery, leaving us with more questions than answers.

Two months later, while scrolling through Reddit, I stumbled upon a post about disappearances and theories. Among multiple photos and videos, I landed on one that featured something eerily familiar—the blue star. This time, it was spray-painted on a tree's bark, and the post discussed theories ranging from the Smiley Face Killers to ritualistic sacrifices and even extraterrestrial involvement.

The prevalent theory among commenters was that of the "starkillers." They were believed to be a clandestine group operating across the country, leaving their mark with blue stars as a grisly signature. The post detailed accounts of similar incidents, all marked by the presence of the blue star symbol.

Despite the various speculations, my family never received updates on the incident, and we don't anticipate any. The memory of that chilling encounter haunts us to this day, a reminder of the darkness that can lurk in even the most tranquil places. If anyone has more information on the starkillers or has experienced something similar, it's essential to share and inform the public about them. Together, we can shed light on these mysteries and strive for a safer, more secure world.